A New Method for Determination of Molecular Weight of Compounds Soluble in Protic Solvents by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy
Subramaniam Rameshkumar, Panjaiyan Karthikeyan,
Iman Danaee and Manogaran Obulichetty
Abstract
This chapter deals with a new method for determining the molecular weight of chemical substances soluble in protic solvents. One of the well-known methods for the determination of molecular weight of a substance, based on one of the colligative properties, is Ostwald and Walker’ s method, which depends on relative lowering of vapor pressure of solvent. In this paper we proposed a new method for determining the molecular mass of the substances that are soluble in protic solvents such as water, methanol and ethanol employing electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique and Raoult’ s law. The moisture and vapor pressure dependent proton conductivity of some organic compounds and metal-organic frame works (MOFs) can be utilized to find the molecular mass of solutes soluble in protic solvents. This property is considered as key for determination of molecular weight of chemical substances using EIS and is simpler than Ostwald and Walker’ s method. This method is a non-destructive and also useful to determine the molecular weight of polymers and proteins soluble in protic solvents.
Keywords: impedance, molecular weight, vapor pressure, Raoult’ s law
Theresistanceofasystemunderstudycomesfromthehindranceofferedforthe flowofelectricalcurrentthroughitscircuitelements.Theresistance, R,ofthematerialisdefinedbyOhm’slaw,intermsofvoltage, E andcurrent I ratio:
A New Method for Determination of Molecular Weight of Compounds Soluble in Protic DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/106558
Current,
Where XC iscapacitivereactance,i.e.theresistanceofferedbyapurecapacitorfor thealternatecurrentflowsacrossit.ItsvaluedependsonfrequencyofACexcitation voltageandisgivenas:
Eachslabintheheterogeneoussystemhasitsownnaturalfrequencydefinedby theexpression ω ¼ G C .Ifthemagnitudesofimpedanceofcorresponding N slabsare sufficientlydifferent,thentheseslabscanbeeasilyidentifiedwithinthecombined dispersionsimmediately.
Another random document with no related content on Scribd:
a press on the bag of manioc, caused the sap it contained to issue in streams, which flowed plentifully on the ground.
Fritz. This machine of yours, father, though simple, is as effectual as can be desired.
Father.—Certainly. It is the simplest lever that the art of mechanism can furnish, and may be made extremely useful.
Ernest.—I thought that levers were never used but for raising heavy masses, such as blocks of stone, and things of that degree of weight; I had no notion that they were ever used for pressing.
Father.—But, my dear boy, you see that the point at which the lever rests on the planks, must always be the point of rest or compression; the point at which its extremity touches the roots of the tree would no doubt be that of the raising power, if the root was not too strong to yield to the point of the lever; but then the resistance at the point of compression or rest is still stronger, and presses effectually, as you see, the contents of the bag. The Negroes, however, have another manner of proceeding; but it would have been much too tedious in the process for us to imitate. They make tresses of the bark of a tree, and with it form a kind of basket of tolerable size; they fill it with manioc, and press it so tightly that the baskets become shorter, and increase in breadth; they then hang the baskets to the strongest branches of trees, and fasten large stones to them, which draw the baskets again lengthways; by which action upon the manioc, the sap runs out at the openings left by the tresses.
Mother.—Can one make no use of this sap?
Father.—Certainly, we may: the same Negroes use it as food, after mixing with it a considerable quantity of pepper; and, when they can procure them, some sea crabs. The Europeans, on the other hand, leave it to settle in vessels till it has formed a sediment; they then pour off the liquid part, wash the sediment with fresh water, and place it to dry in the sun: in this manner they obtain from it an excellent sort of starch, which is used for clearing linen. I must tell you that the potatoe also contains the same sort of substance, which
may be put to the same use: for the rest, the latter is less nourishing than the manioc.
Mother.—But pray tell me, are we to prepare the whole of this manioc at once? If so, we have at least a whole day’s work, and a great part must be spoiled at last.
Father.—Not so, my dear; when the pollard is perfectly dry, it may be placed in casks, and being shut closely down, it will keep for years; but you will see that the whole of this large heap will be so reduced in quantity by the operation we are going to apply of baking, that there will be no cause for your apprehension.
Fritz.—Father, it no longer runs a single drop; may we not now set about making the dough?
Father .—I have no objection; but it would be more prudent to make only a small cake, at first, by way of experiment, which as I said before we will give to the monkey and the fowls, and wait to see the effect, instead of exhausting our whole store at once.
We now opened the bag, and took out a small quantity of the pollard, which already was sufficiently dry; we stirred the rest about with a stick, and then replaced it under the press. The next thing was to fix one of our iron plates, which was of a round form, and rather convex, so as to rest upon two blocks of stone at a distance from each other; under this we lighted a large fire, and when the iron plate was completely heated, we placed a portion of the dough upon it with a wooden spade. As soon as the cake began to be brown underneath, it was turned, that the other side might be baked also.
Ernest.—O how nicely it smells! what a pity that we may not eat some of it immediately!
Jack.—And why not? I would eat some without the least fear; and would not you, Francis?
Father.—Hah, hah! What is then become of our terrible fear of being poisoned, which made you even throw your grater from you? Ah, I see how it is; the passion of gluttony is stronger than your fear. —However, I certainly believe that in this case it might be gratified
without doing you an injury; nevertheless it is better perhaps to wait till the evening, and not run a greater risk than the loss of one or two of our fowls and of the monkey; and we may say this trial of the cake will be the first service he has rendered us.
As soon as the cake was cold, we broke some of it into crumbs, and gave it to two of the fowls, and a larger piece to the monkey, who nibbled it with a perfect relish, making all the time a thousand grimaces to testify his content, while the boys stood by envying the preference he enjoyed.
Fritz.—Now tell me, father, how the savages manage to grate their manioc, for surely they have not, like us, an instrument fitted for the operation:—and tell me also, if they call their composition by the name of cake or bread, as we do?
Father .—The savages having no such article as bread in their bill of fare, have consequently no word in their language to express it. At the Antilles, the bread from the manioc is called cassave; the savages make a kind of grater with sharp stones, or shells; or when they can get nails, on which they set a high value, they drive them into the end of a plank, and rub the manioc upon it. But now, I pray you, good wife, give us quickly some dinner, and we will afterwards resume the baking trade, provided our tasters show no signs of the colic or swimming in the head.
Fritz.—Are these, then, the only effects of poison, father?
Father . At least they are the most ordinary ones: there are poisons which paralyse and induce a heavy sleep; such are opium, if taken in too large a quantity; hemlock, &c. &c. Others are sharp and corrosive, attacking the stomach and intestines: of this class are arsenic, sublimate, and the pernicious sorts of mushrooms. If, when either of these has been swallowed, there be not immediate assistance procured, the human machine stops, becomes disorganized, and the patient dies.—I will take this occasion, my dear children, to caution you against a kind of fruit extremely dangerous in its nature, and the more so from the remarkable attraction of its external appearance. This fruit is frequently found in
America on the banks of rivers or in marshes, and you may perhaps meet with it in this island. Its aspect is agreeable to the eye, resembling a handsome kind of yellow apple with red spots. It is, however, one of the strongest poisons in the world: it is even said to be dangerous to sleep under the shade of the tree which produces it. Be very careful, therefore, should you happen to meet with it: it is known by the name of mancenilla. Indeed I cannot too seriously exhort you not to venture on eating any thing you may find, however alluring in appearance, till you have first consulted me. Promise me this, children, one and all of you.
Jack. I promise you heartily, father; and still further, I will keep my word more faithfully than Adam did towards God, who had forbidden him to eat of a certain apple.
Father .—You will do well in this; but do not so presumptuously and so readily blame that in another which under the same circumstances you would have done yourself; I would lay a wager that you would be the first to be led away by any worthless knave who should come and tell you that I had been laughing at you all the while, that the mancenilla is the finest apple in the world, and that by eating it you would be rendered as strong as a lion; that ready appetite of yours, and that little vanity we now and then discover in you, would make you, I fear, forget my advice, and greedily devour the apple.—But this is enough on the subject; instead of thinking more of poisons, let us resort with confidence to our plentiful dish of boiled potatoes; perhaps, dear wife, you have some little relish to add to them to day:—what, I pray you, may there be in that boiling vessel yonder?
Mother .—It is the penguin that Jack killed and brought home.
To say the truth, we did not take a fancy to the dish, the bird being of a strong and fishy flavour. Jack, however, was of a different opinion, and he was left at full liberty to regale himself to his appetite’s content.
The first thing we did after dinner was to visit our fowls. Those among them which had eaten the manioc, were in excellent
condition, and no less so the monkey, who gave us sufficient proofs of life and health in the multitude of gambols and grimaces he exhibited. Now then to the bakehouse, young ones, said I—to the bakehouse as fast as you can scamper. The grated manioc was soon emptied out of the bag, a large fire was quickly lighted, and when sufficiently fervent, I placed the boys where a flat surface had been prepared for them, and gave to each a plate of iron and the quantity of a cocoa nut full for them to make a cake apiece, and they were to try who could succeed the best. They were ranged in a half circle round the place, where I stood myself, that they might the better be enabled to observe how I proceeded, and adopt the same method for themselves. The result was not discouraging for a first experiment, though it must be confessed we were now and then so unlucky as to burn a cake; but there was not a greater number of these than served to feed the pigeons and the fowls, which hovered round us to claim their share of the treat. My little rogues could not resist the pleasure of frequently tasting their cake, a little bit at a time, as they went on. At length the undertaking was complete; the cakes were put in a dish and served in company with a handsome share of milk, to each person; and with this addition, they furnished us an excellent repast: what remained we distributed among our animals and fowls. I observed with pleasure that the penguins which I had preserved alive, accommodated themselves perfectly to this kind of food, and that generally, they began to lose their former timid behaviour; I therefore indulged my inclination to compassionate their captive state, and ventured to disengage them from their comrades: this indulgence procured me the pleasure of seeing them seemingly in a state of newly acquired content.
The rest of the day was employed by the boys in making several turns with their wheel-barrows, and by myself in different arrangements in which the ass and our raft had a principal share, both being employed in drawing to Tent-House the remaining articles we had brought from the ship. When all this was done we retired to rest, having first made another meal on our cakes, and concluded all
with pious thanks to God for the blessings his goodness thought fit to bestow upon us.
CHAPTER XXI.
Thepinnace andthe cracker.
FROM the time of discovering the pinnace, my desire of returning to the vessel grew every moment more and more irresistible: but one thing I saw was absolutely necessary, which was to collect all my hands and go provided with sufficient strength to enable me to get her out from the situation where we had found her the day before. I therefore thought of taking with me the three boys: I even wished that my wife should accompany us; but she had been seized with such an horror of the perfidious element as she called it, the sea, that she assured me the very attempt would make her ill, and thus occasion her to be an additional trouble rather than of use. I had some difficulty to prevail upon her to let so many as three of the children go: she made me promise to return the same evening, and on no account to pass another night on-board the wreck: and to this I was, though with regret, obliged to consent.
After breakfast then, we prepared for setting out, but not without some sighing and mournful looks from my amiable partner. The boys, on the contrary, were gay and on the alert, in the expectation of the pleasure that awaited them; particularly Ernest, who had not yet made a single voyage with us to the vessel. We took with us an ample provision of boiled potatoes and cassave; and in addition, arms and weapons of every kind. We embarked and reached Safety Bay without the occurrence of any remarkable event: here we thought it prudent to put on our cork jackets; we then scattered some food for the geese and ducks which had taken up their abode there, and soon after stepped gaily into our tub-raft, at the same
time fastening the new boat by a rope to her stern, so that she could be drawn along. We put out for the current, though not without considerable fear of finding that the wreck had entirely disappeared. We soon, however, perceived that she still remained firm between the rocks. Having got on-board, our first care was to load our craft with different stores, that we might not return without some acquisition of comfort for our establishment; and then all on the wings of curiosity and ardour we repaired to that part of the vessel called the bulk-head, which contained the enviable prize, the pinnace. On further observation, it appeared to me that the plan we had formed was subject to at least two alarming and perhaps insurmountable difficulties: the one was the situation of the pinnace in the ship; and the other was the size and weight it would necessarily acquire when put together. The inclosure in which she lay in pieces was far back in the interior of the ship, and close upon the side which was in the water, immediately under the officers’ cabin. Several inner timbers of prodigious bulk and weight separated this inclosure from the breach at which only we had been able to get on-board, and in this part of the deck there was not sufficient space for us to work at putting the pinnace together, or to give her room should we succeed in completing our business. The breach also was too narrow and too irregular to admit of her being launched from this place, as we had done with our tub-raft. In short, the separate pieces of the pinnace were too heavy for the possibility of our removing them even with the assistance of our united strength. What therefore was to be done? and how could we meet so formidable a difficulty? I stood on the spot absorbed in deep reflection, while the boys were running from place to place, conveying every thing portable they could find, on-board the raft.
The cabinet which contained the pinnace was lighted by several small fissures in the timbers, which after standing in the place a few minutes to accustom the eye, enabled one to see sufficiently to distinguish objects.
I discovered with pleasure that all the pieces of which she was composed were so accurately arranged and numbered, that without
too much presumption, I might flatter myself with the hope of being able effectually to collect and put them together, if I could be allowed the necessary time, and could procure a convenient place. I therefore, in spite of every disadvantage, decided on the undertaking; and we immediately set about it. We proceeded, it must be confessed, at first so slowly as to produce discouragement, if the desire of possessing so admirable a little vessel, quite new, perfectly safe, easy to conduct, and which might at some future day be the means of our deliverance, had not at every moment inspired us with new strength and ardour.
Evening, however, was fast approaching, and we had made but small progress; we were obliged to think of our promise to my wife; and though with reluctance, we left our occupation and reembarked. On reaching Safety Bay, we had the satisfaction of finding there our kind steward and little Francis; they had been, during the day, employed in some necessary arrangements for our living at Tent-House as long as we should have occasion to continue the excursions to the vessel: this she did to shorten the length of the voyage, and that we might be always in sight of each other. This new proof of her kind attention affected me in a lively manner, and I could not sufficiently express the gratitude which I felt, particularly as I knew the dislike she had conceived to living in this spot. I presented her with the valuable cargo we brought, which I knew would give her pleasure, and regretted that I had no better recompense to offer for the voluntary sacrifice she had made to my accommodation. I made the best display I could of two casks of salted butter, three of flour, some small bags of millet-seed and of rice, and a multitude of other articles of utility and comfort for our establishment. My wife rewarded me by the expression of her perfect satisfaction, and the whole was removed to our storehouse at the rocks.
We passed an entire week in this arduous undertaking of the pinnace. I embarked regularly every morning with my three sons, and returned every evening, and never without some small addition to our stores. We were now so accustomed to this manner of
proceeding, that my wife bade us good bye without concern, and we, on our parts, left Tent-House without anxiety; she even had the courage to go several times, with no companion but her little Francis, to Falcon’s Stream, to feed and take care of the poultry, and to bring back potatoes for our use. As night successively returned, we had a thousand interesting things to tell each other, and the pleasure of being together was much increased by these short separations: we even enjoyed with a better appetite the excellent supper our kind hostess at all times took care to prepare for us.
At length the pinnace was completed, and in a condition to be launched: the question now was, how to manage this remaining difficulty. She was an elegant little vessel, perfect in every part: she had a small neat deck; and her mast and sails were no less exact and perfect than those of a little brig. It was probable she would sail well, from the lightness of her construction, and in consequence, drawing but little water. We had pitched and towed all the seams, that nothing might be wanting for her complete appearance: we had even taken the superfluous pains of further embellishing by mounting her with two small cannon of about a pound weight; and, in imitation of larger vessels, had fastened them to the deck with chains. But in spite of the delight we felt in contemplating a commodious little vessel, formed for usefulness in all its parts, and the work, as it were, of our own industry, yet the great difficulty still remained: the said commodious, charming little vessel still stood fast, inclosed within four walls; nor could I conceive of a means of getting her out. To support the idea of so much time and labour bestowed for no end or advantage, was absolutely impossible; to effect a passage through the outer side of the vessel, by means of our united industry in the use of all the utensils we had secured, seemed to present a prospect of exertions beyond the reach of man, even if not attended with dangers the most threatening and alarming. We now examined if it might be practicable to cut away all intervening timbers, to which, from the nature of the breach, we had easier access; but should we even succeed in this attempt, the upper timbers being, in consequence of the inclined position of the
ship, on a level with the water, our labour would be unavailing: besides, we had neither strength nor time for such a proceeding; from one moment to another, a storm might arise and engulf the ship, timber, pinnace, ourselves, and all. Despairing, then, of being able to find a means consistent with the sober rules of art, my impatient fancy inspired the thought of a project, which, if subjected to the experiment, must necessarily be attended with hazards and dangers of a tremendous nature.
I had found on-board, a strong iron mortar, such as is used in kitchens. I took a thick oak plank, and nailed to a certain part of it some large iron hooks: with a knife I cut a groove along the middle of the plank. I sent the boys to fetch some match-wood from the hold, and I cut a piece sufficiently long to continue burning at least two hours. I placed this train in the groove of my plank: I filled the mortar with gun-powder, and then laid the plank, thus furnished, upon it, having previously pitched the mortar all round; and, lastly, I made the whole fast to the spot with strong chains crossed by means of the hooks in every direction. Thus I accomplished a sort of cracker, from which I expected to effect a happy conclusion. I hung this infernally-contrived machine against the side of the bulk-head next the sea, having taken previous care to choose a spot in which its action could not affect the pinnace. When the whole was arranged, I set fire to the match, the end of which projected far enough beyond the plank to allow us sufficient time to escape. I now hurried on-board the raft, into which I had previously sent the boys before applying a light to the match; and who, though they had assisted in forming the cracker, had no suspicion of the use for which it was intended, and believing all the while it concealed some subject of amusement for their next trip to the vessel. I confess I had purposely avoided giving them the true explanation, from the fear of the entire failure of my project, or that the vessel, pinnace, and all that it contained, might in consequence be blown up in a moment. I had naturally, therefore, some reluctance to announce myself before the time, as the author of so many disasters.
On our arrival at Tent-House, I immediately put the raft in a certain order, that she might be in readiness to return speedily to the wreck, when the noise produced by the cracker should have informed me that my scheme had taken effect. We set busily to work in emptying her; and during the occupation, our ears were assailed with the noise of an explosion of such violence, that my wife and the boys, who were ignorant of the cause, were so dreadfully alarmed as instantly to abandon their employment. What can it be? —what is the matter?—what can have happened? cried all at once. It must be cannon. It is perhaps the captain and the ship’s company who have found their way hither! Or can it be some vessel in distress? Can we go to its relief?
Mother .—The sound appeared to come in the direction of the wreck; perhaps she has blown up. Were you careful of not leaving any light which could communicate with gun-powder?—From the bottom of her heart she made this last suggestion, for she desired nothing more earnestly than that the vessel should be annihilated, and thus an end be put to our repeated visits.
Father .—If this is the case, said I, we had better return immediately, and convince ourselves of the fact. Who will be of the party?
I, I, I, cried the boys; and the three young rogues lost not a moment in jumping into their tubs, whither I soon followed them, after having whispered a few words to my wife, somewhat tending to explain, but still more to tranquillise her mind during the trip we had now to engage in.
We rowed out of the bay with more rapidity than on any former occasion; curiosity gave strength to our arms. When the vessel was in sight, I observed with pleasure that no change had taken place in the part of her which faced Tent-House; and that no sign of smoke appeared: we advanced, therefore, in excellent spirits; but instead of rowing, as usual, straight to the breach, we proceeded round to the side, on the inside of which we had placed the cracker. The horrible scene of devastation we had caused now broke upon our sight. The greater part of the ship’s side was shivered to pieces; innumerable
splinters covered the surface of the water; the whole exhibited a scene of terrible destruction, in the midst of which presented itself our elegant pinnace, entirely free from injury! I could not refrain from the liveliest exclamations of joy, which excited the surprise of the boys, who had felt the disposition such a spectacle naturally inspired, of being dejected at the sight of so melancholy an event. They fixed their eyes upon me with the utmost astonishment.—Now then she is ours, cried I—the elegant little pinnace is ours! for nothing is now more easy than to launch her. Come, boys, jump upon her deck, and let us see how quickly we can get her down upon the water.
Fritz.—Ah! now I understand you, father, you have yourself blown up the side of the ship with that machine you contrived in our last visit, that we might be able to get out the pinnace; but how does it happen that so much of the ship is blown away?
Father . I will explain all this to you when I have convinced myself that the pinnace is not injured, and that there is no danger of any of the fire remaining on-board: let us well examine. We entered by the new breach, and had soon reason to be satisfied that the pinnace had wholly escaped from injury, and that the fire was entirely extinguished. The mortar, however, and pieces of the chain, had been driven forcibly into the opposite side of the inclosure. Having now every reason to be satisfied and tranquil, I explained to the boys the nature of a cracker, the manner of its operation, and the important service for which I was indebted to the old mortar.
I now attentively examined the breach we had thus effected, and next the pinnace. I perceived that it would be easy, with the help of the crow and the lever, to lower her into the water. In putting her together, I had used the precaution of placing the keel on rollers, that we might not experience the same difficulty as we had formerly done in launching our tub-raft. Before letting her go, however, I fastened the end of a long thick rope to her head, and the other end to the most solid part of the wreck, for fear of her being carried out too far. We put our whole ingenuity and strength to this undertaking, and soon enjoyed the pleasure of seeing our pretty pinnace descend
gracefully into the sea; the rope keeping her sufficiently near, and enabling us to draw her close to the spot where I was loading the tub-boat, and where for that purpose I had lodged a pulley on a projecting beam, from which I was enabled also to advance with the completing of the necessary masts and sails for our new barge. I endeavoured to recollect minutely all the information I had ever possessed on the art of equipping a vessel; and our pinnace was shortly in a condition to set sail.
On this occasion a spirit of military affairs was awakened in the minds of my young flock, which was never after extinguished. We were masters of a vessel mounted with two cannon, and furnished amply with guns and pistols! This was at once to be invincible, and in a condition for resisting and destroying the largest fleet the savages could bring upon us! In the height of exultation it was even almost wished they might assail us! For my own part, I answered their young enthusiasm with pious prayers that we might ever escape such a calamity as the being compelled to use our fire arms. Night surprised us before we had finished our work, and we accordingly prepared for our return to Tent-House, after drawing the pinnace close under the vessel’s side. We arrived in safety, and took great care, as had been previously agreed on, not to mention our new and invaluable booty to the good mother, till we could surprise her with the sight of it in a state of entire completeness. In answer, therefore, to her inquiries as to the noise she heard, we told her that a barrel of gun-powder had taken fire, and had shivered to pieces a small part of the ship. We relied that no suspicion of the secret would occur to her mind, should she even have the fancy of looking at the vessel through the glass, as she sometimes did; for the pinnace lay so as to be concealed by the immense bulk of the ship’s body.
Two whole days more were spent in completely equipping and loading the beautiful little barge we had now secured. When she was ready for sailing, I found it impossible to resist the earnest importunity of the boys, who, as a recompense for the industry and discretion they had employed, claimed my permission to salute their
mother, on their approach to Tent House, with two discharges of cannon. These accordingly were loaded, and the two youngest placed themselves, with a lighted match in hand, close to the touchholes, to be in readiness. Fritz stood at the mast to manage the ropes and cables, while I took my station at the rudder. These matters being adjusted, we put off with sensations of lively joy, which was demonstrated by loud huzzas and suitable gesticulation. The wind was favourable; and so brisk, that we glided with the rapidity of a bird along the mirror of the waters: and while my young ones were transported with pleasure by the velocity of the motion, I could not myself refrain from shuddering at the thought of some possible disaster.
Our old friend the tub-raft had been deeply loaded and fastened to the pinnace, and it now followed as an accompanying boat to a superior vessel. We took down our large sail as soon as we found ourselves at the entrance of the Bay of Safety, to have the greater command in directing the barge; and soon, the smaller ones were lowered one by one, that we might the more securely avoid being thrown with violence upon the rocks so prevalent along the coast: thus, proceeding at a slower rate, we had greater facilities for managing the important affair of the discharge of the cannon. Arrived within a certain distance—“Fire”—cried commander Fritz. The rocks behind Tent-House returned the sound.—“Fire”—said Fritz again.—Ernest and Jack obeyed, and the echoes again majestically replied. Fritz at the same moment had discharged his two pistols, and all joined instantly in three loud huzzas.
Welcome! welcome! dear ones, was the answer from the anxious mother, almost breathless with astonishment and joy! Welcome, cried also little Francis with his feeble voice, as he stood clinging to her side, and not well knowing whether he was to be sad or merry! We now tried to push to shore with our oars in a particular direction, that we might have the protection of a projecting mass of rocks, and my wife and little Francis hastened to the spot to receive us: Ah, dear deceitful ones! cried she, throwing herself upon my neck and heartily embracing me, what a fright have you, and your cannon, and your little ship thrown me into! I saw it advancing rapidly towards us, and was unable to conceive from whence it could come, or what it might have on board: I stole with Francis behind the rocks, and when I heard the firing, I was near sinking to the ground with terror; if I had not the moment after heard your voices, God knows where we should have run to—but come, the cruel moment is now over, and thanks to Heaven I have you once again in safety! But tell me where you got so unhoped-for a prize as this neat charming little vessel? In good truth it would really almost tempt me to venture once more on a sea voyage, especially if she would promise to convey us back to our dear country! I foresee of what use she will
be to us, and for her sake I think that I must try to forgive the many sins of absence you have committed against me.
Fritz now invited his mother to get on-board, and gave her his assistance. When they had all stepped upon the deck, they entreated for permission to salute, by again discharging the cannon, and at the same moment to confer on the pinnace the name of their mother TheElizabeth.
My wife was particularly gratified by these our late adventures; she applauded our skill and perseverance: but do not, said she, imagine that I bestow so much commendation without the hope of some return in kind: on the contrary, it is now my turn to claim from you, for myself and little Francis, the same sort of agreeable recompense; for we have not, I assure you, remained idle while the rest were so actively employed for the common benefit.—No, not so; little Francis and his mother found means to be doing something also, though not at this moment prepared to furnish such unquestionable proofs as you, by your salutations of cannon, &c.: but wait a little, good friends, and our proofs shall hereafter be apparent in some dishes of excellent vegetables which we shall be able to regale you with. It depends, to say the truth, only on yourselves, dear ones, to go with me and see what we have done.
We did not hesitate to comply, and jumped briskly out of the pinnace for the purpose. Taking her little coadjutor Francis by the hand, she led the way, and we followed in the gayest mood imaginable. She conducted us up an ascent of one of our rocks, and stopping at the spot where the cascade is formed from Jackal’s river, she displayed to our astonished eyes a handsome and commodious kitchen garden, laid out properly in beds and walks, and, as she told us, every where sowed with the seed of useful plants.
This, said she, is the pretty exploit we have been engaged in, if you will kindly think so of it. In this spot the earth is so light, being principally composed of decayed leaves, that Francis and I had no difficulty in working it, and then dividing it into different compartments; one for potatoes, one for manioc, and other smaller shares for lettuces of various kinds, not forgetting to leave a due
proportion to receive some plants of the sugar-cane. You, dear husband, and Fritz, will easily find means to conduct sufficient water hither from the cascade, by means of pipes of bamboo, to keep the whole in health and vigour; and we shall have a double source of pleasure from the general prosperity, for both the eyes and the palate will be gratified. But you have not yet seen all: there, on the slope of the rock, I have transplanted some plants of the ananas. Between these, I have sowed some melon seeds, which cannot fail to succeed, thus securely sheltered and in so warm a soil: here is a plot allotted to pease and beans, and this other for all sorts of cabbage. Round each bed or plot I have sowed seeds of maize, on account of its tall and bushy form, to serve as a border, which at the same time will protect my young plants from the scorching heat of the sun.
I stood transported in the midst of so perfect an exhibition of the kind zeal and persevering industry of this most amiable of women! I could only exclaim, that I should never have believed in the possibility of such a labour in so short a time, and particularly with so much privacy as to leave me wholly unsuspicious of the existence of such a project.
Mother . To confess the truth, I did not myself at first expect to succeed, for which reason I resolved to say nothing of the matter to any one, that I might not be put to the blush for my presumption. But as I found my little calculations answer better than I expected, I was encouraged, and the hope of surprising you so agreeably, gave me new strength and activity. I, on my part, however, had my suspicions that your daily visits to the wreck were connected with some great mystery, which at a certain time you would be prepared to unfold—So, mystery for mystery, thought I; and thus, my love, it has turned out. Though acting in different directions, one only object has been our mutual aim—the substantial good of our beloved companions of the desert!
After a few jocose remarks with which we closed this conversation, we moved towards Tent-House. This was one of our happiest days, for we were all satisfied with ourselves and with each
other; we had conferred and received benefits, and I led my children to observe the goodness of Providence, who renders even labour a source of enjoyment, and makes our own happiness result from that of the objects of our affection, and our pride to arise from the commendations of which those objects may be deserving.
I had almost forgot though, said my wife, after a short pause, one little reproach I had to make you: your trips to the vessel have made you neglect the bundle of valuable fruit saplings we laid together in mould at Falcon’s Stream; I fear they by this time must be dying for want of being planted, though I took care to water and cover them with branches. Let us go, my love, and see about them.
I readily consented to so reasonable a proposal. I should have been no less grieved than my wife, to see this charming acquisition perish for want of care. We had reason on many accounts to return quickly to Falcon’s Stream, where different matters required our presence. We had now in possession the greater part of the cargo of the vessel; but almost the whole of these treasures were at present in the open air, and liable to injury from both sun and rain.
My wife prepared with alertness for our walk; and the rather from the aversion she had ever entertained, on account of the intense heat, for Tent-House. We hastened to unload the boat, and to place the cargo safely under shelter along with our other stores.
The pinnace was anchored on the shore, and fastened with a rope, by her head, to a stake. When all our stores were thus disposed of, we began our journey to Falcon’s Stream, but not empty-handed; we took with us every thing that seemed to be absolutely wanted for comfort; and when brought together, it was really so much, that both ourselves and our beasts of burthen had no easy task to perform.
NEITHER our voyages to the wreck, nor the laboriousness of our occupations at Tent House had made us forget the regular observance of our duties on the sabbath-day, which now again occurred the day after our return to Falcon’s Stream; and we accordingly distinguished it by consecrating the forenoon to reading the church prayers, some chapters in the Bible, singing psalms, and lastly, the recital of a new parable I had invented, and which I had named the Arabian Travellers. I reminded my children in it, by the help of imagery and fictitious names, of all the aid and all the benefits bestowed upon us by an all-beneficent Providence, from the moment of our being cast upon our present abode;—that it was his compassion for our station which had endued us with sagacity and perseverance in the discovery of so many things necessary for our existence; and one treasure, valuable above all the rest—a talisman, bestowed by the good genius who watched over poor defenceless wanderers. This talisman was such as to inspire them on every occasion with the knowledge of what was best for their happiness, and that by listening to these inspirations, they might be sure of always keeping in the right path, and finding every want supplied. I need not explain that by the good genius I alluded to the everwatchful care of the exemplary wife and mother; and by the talisman, the sacred volume she had so miraculously preserved and concealed in her enchanted bag. I was well understood by my
hearers; and as I finished my discourse, the children all ran spontaneously at once to embrace their mother, addressing her by the term GoodGenius, and thanking her for having been the means of securing the Bible, to which we might all resort for consolation and instruction.
After dinner I again addressed my family with a short moral discourse, and then allowed them to use whatever kind of recreation they pleased; one feature of my system being, not to tire them with the subjects I wished them to feel an attachment for. I recommended to them, for the sake of uniting usefulness with their amusement, to resume the exercise we began upon the first Sunday of our abode in these regions, the shooting of arrows; for I had an extreme solicitude about their preserving and increasing their bodily strength and agility, which in a situation like ours, might prove of such critical importance. Nothing tends more to the extinction of personal courage in a human being, than the consciousness of wanting that strength of limb, or that address, which may be necessary to aid us in defending ourselves, or in escaping from dangers. On this occasion, I added the exercises of running, jumping, getting up trees, both by means of climbing by the trunk, or by a suspended rope, as sailors are obliged to do to get to the mast-head. We began at first by making knots in the rope at a foot distance from each other; then we reduced the number of knots, and before we left off, we contrived to succeed without any. I next taught them an exercise of a different nature, with which they were unacquainted, and which was to be effected by means of two balls made of lead, fastened one to each end of a string about a fathom in length. While I was preparing this machinery, all eyes were fixed upon me. What can it be intended for? cried one: How can we use it? asked another: Will it soon be ready? continued a third.
Father.—Have a little patience, boys, if it be not quite impossible for you to practise this precious virtue; for though the thing I am endeavouring to make for you may turn out extremely useful, yet this said virtue of patience is much more likely to be a constant, steady, and efficient friend. But now for the object of your curiosity.
It is nothing less than an imitation of the arms used by a valiant nation remarkable for their skill in the chase, and whom you all must have heard of: I mean the Patagonians, inhabitants of the most southern point of America; but instead of balls, which they are not able to procure, they tie two heavy stones, one at each end of a cord, but considerably longer than the one I am working with: every Patagonian is armed with this simple instrument, which they use with singular dexterity. If they desire to kill or wound an enemy or an animal, they fling one of the ends of this cord at him, and begin instantly to draw it back by the other, which they keep carefully in their hand, to be ready for another throw if necessary: but if they wish to take an animal alive, and without hurting it, they possess the singular art of throwing it in such a way as to make it run several times round the neck of the prey, occasioning a perplexing tightness; they then throw the second stone, and with so certain an aim, that they scarcely ever miss their object: the operation of the second is, the so twisting itself about the animal as to impede his progress, even though he were at a full gallop. The stones continue turning, and carrying with them the cord: the poor animal is at length so entangled, that he can neither advance nor retire, and thus falls a prey to the enemy.
This description of the field sports of the Patagonians was heard with much interest by the boys, who now all entreated I would that instant try the effect of my own instrument upon a small trunk of a tree which we saw at a certain distance. My throws entirely succeeded; and the string with the balls at the ends so completely surrounded the tree that the skill of the Patagonian huntsmen required no further illustration. Each of the boys must then needs have a similar instrument; and in a short time Fritz became quite expert in the art, as indeed he was in every kind of exercise that required strength or address: he was not only the most alert of my children, but being the eldest, his muscles were more formed, and his intelligence was more developed, than could yet be expected in the other three.
The next morning, as I was dressing, I remarked from my window in the tree that the sea was violently agitated, and the waves swelled with the wind. I rejoiced to find myself in safety in my home, and that the day had not been destined for out-of-door occupation. Though such a wind was in reality quite harmless for skilful sailors, for us it might be truly dangerous, from our ignorance in these matters. I observed then to my wife that I should not leave her the whole day, and should therefore hold myself ready to execute any little concerns she found wanting in our domestic arrangement. We now fell to a more minute examination than I had hitherto had time for, of all our various possessions at Falcon’s Stream. She showed me many things she had herself found means to add to them during my repeated absences from home: among these was a large barrel filled with small birds half-roasted and stowed away in butter to preserve them fresh: this she called her game, which she had found means to ensnare with birdlime in the branches of the neighbouring bushes. Next she showed me a pair of young pigeons which had been lately hatched, and were already beginning to try their wings, while their mother was again sitting on her eggs. From these we passed to the fruit-trees we had laid in earth to be planted, and which were in real need of our assistance, being almost in a decaying state. I immediately set myself to prevent so important an injury. I had promised the boys the evening before, to go all together to the wood of gourds, for the purpose of providing ourselves with vessels of different sizes to keep our provisions in: they were enchanted with the idea, but I bargained that they must first assist me to plant all the young trees; which was no sooner said than executed, excited as we were by our eager desire for the promised excursion.
When we had finished, a little disappointment however occurred; the evening, I thought, seemed too far advanced for so long a walk, especially as my wife and little Francis were to be of the party. By the time that all were ready, it was too late to think of setting out, and we accordingly postponed the expected pleasure till the following day, when we made the necessary preparations for leaving
Falcon’s Stream very early in the morning. By sun-rise all were on foot; for nothing can exceed the alertness of young persons who act in expectation of a pleasurable change of scene. The ass, harnessed to the sledge, played on this occasion the principal character; his office was to be the drawing home the empty gourds for the service of our kitchen and the table, and in addition, little Francis, if he should be tired: in the journey out, he carried our dinner, a bottle of the Canary wine, and some powder and shot. Turk, according to custom, led the way as our advanced guard; next followed the three eldest boys, equipped for sporting; after them, their amiable mother, leading the little one; and Ponto brought up the rear with the monkey on his back, to which the boys had given the name of Knips. On this occasion I took with me a double-barreled gun, loaded on one side with shot for game, and on the other with ball, in case of meeting with an enemy.
In this manner we set out, full of good humour and high spirits, from Falcon’s Stream. Turning round Flamingo Marsh, we soon reached the pleasant spot which before had so delighted us. My wife, who now beheld for the first time its various beauties, was never tired of praising and admiring it. Fritz, who longed to be engaged in some sporting adventure, took a direction a little further from the sea-shore; and sending Turk into the tall grass, he followed himself, and both disappeared. Soon, however, we heard Turk barking loud, a large bird sprang up, and almost at the same moment a shot from Fritz brought it down: but the bird though wounded was not killed; it raised itself and got off with incredible swiftness, not by flying, but by running. Turk pursued with the eagerness of an animal enraged; Fritz, bawling out like a mad creature, followed; and Ponto, seeing what was going on, threw the monkey off his back, and fell speedily into the same track. It was Ponto that seized the bird, and held it fast till Fritz came up. But now a different sort of scene succeeded from that which took place at the capture of the flamingo. The legs of that bird are long and weak, and it was able to make but a poor resistance. The present captive was large in size, and proportionately strong; it struck the dogs, or
whoever came near, with its legs, with so much force, that Fritz, who had received a blow or two, retired from the field of battle, and dared not again approach this feathered antagonist. Turk, who had gallantly assailed the bird, was also discouraged by some severities applied to his head by the sturdy combatant, and yielded the contest. The brave Ponto alone withstood the animal’s attacks; he seized one of its wings, and did not let it go till I reached the spot, which I was long in doing on account of the height of the grass and the great weight of my gun; but when I was near enough to distinguish the bird as it lay on the ground, I was overjoyed to see that it was a female bustard of the largest size2 . I had long wished to possess and to tame a bird of this species for our poultry-yard, though I foresaw that it would be somewhat difficult.
To effect the complete capture of the bird without injuring it, I took out my pocket-handkerchief, and seizing a favourable moment, I threw it over the head of the bustard; it could not disengage itself, and its efforts only served to entangle it the more. As in this situation it could not see me, I got sufficiently near to pass a string with a running knot over its legs, which, for the present, I drew tight, to prevent further mischief from such powerful weapons. I gently released its wing, which was still in the possession of Ponto, and tied that and its fellow close to the bird’s body. In short, the bustard was at length vanquished, though not till each and all of us had felt the powerful blows it was capable of inflicting. But it was our own, and that in a condition to promise its preservation when we should once have conveyed it to Falcon’s Stream, and could administer abundance of care and kindness to compensate for the rough treatment it had experienced at our hands.
Without further delay we removed the prisoner to the spot on the shore where some of our companions had been waiting our return. On seeing us, Ernest and Jack ran briskly forward, bawling out, Oh what a handsome bird! And what a size! What beautiful feathers!—I will lay a wager that it is a female bustard, said Ernest, the instant he had cast his eyes upon it. And you would win, my boy, answered I; it is a female bustard; its flesh is excellent, having somewhat of
the flavour of the turkey, to which it also in some other respects has a resemblance. The male spreads its tail in the form of a wheel, as is said, to please its female. Let us endeavour to tame and preserve it by all means.
Mother .—If I had the choice, I would give it back its liberty: most likely it has young ones which stand in need of its assistance.
Father.—For this once, my dear, the kindness of your heart misleads you; the poor bird, being wounded, would perish if set at liberty, for want of care. If, when I have examined its wound, I find it too serious to admit of cure, I shall kill it, and thus secure an excellent dish. But if the wound is slight, we shall have gained for our poultry yard a bird of rare value on account of its size, and which will, it may be hoped, attract its mate, and thus furnish us with a brood of its species: should it even happen that it has at this time a young brood, it is not improbable that they will find the way to take care of themselves, for no doubt, like chickens, they were able to run as soon as they came out of the egg.
While conversing on this subject I had been fixing the bustard on the sledge, taking care to place it in such a posture as to be the least painful, and to avoid exciting it to struggle against its fetters. We then pursued our way towards the wood where Fritz and I had seen such troops of monkeys, who in their spite thought to beat us from the field by assailing us with showers of cocoa-nuts. Fritz now again repeated the adventure with much humour to his mother. During this recital, Ernest was employed in going a little from us in every direction, in admiration of the height and beauty of the trees: he stopped in ecstasy at the sight of one in particular which stood alone, gazing with rapturous wonder at the prodigious distance from the root to the nearest bunches of cocoa-nuts, which he saw hanging in clusters under their crown of leaves, and which excited an eager desire to possess some of them. I glided behind him without his perceiving me, and was highly amused with the expression of his features: at length he drew a deep sigh and uttered these words:—Heavens! What a height!
Father .—Yes, my Ernest, they are indeed at a most unaccommodating height, and not a monkey in the way to throw them down to you! Even were I to set Knips at liberty, besides that he is not in the habit of giving away what he might keep for himself, he would perhaps take it into his head to stay in the tree when once there, so fond is every creature that lives of liberty! It is really a pity, and I am sure you are of my opinion, that those fine cocoa-nuts cannot find a way to drop down into your mouth.
Ernest.—No indeed, father, this is not the case; I have no great mind to them, I assure you; they are too hard, and would fall from too great a height: I should expect to have a tooth or two knocked out at least.
Scarcely had he ended his sentence, when a nut of the very largest size fell down. Ernest, alarmed, stepped aside, and looked up at the tree: another fell, and almost near enough to touch me; so that I was no less surprised than he, not being able to imagine the cause of the phenomenon. Not the smallest sign of a living creature appeared, and I was certain that cocoa-nuts never fall of themselves, but when in a state of over-ripeness, while those were absolutely hard and immature.
Ernest.—This is somewhat like the adventures of Fairy-land, father, I think—No sooner do the personages form a wish, than it is granted.
Father .—I begin indeed to think so. However, it may be that the magician who is so ready to oblige us, may lie concealed behind some of the leaves in the tree in the form of a wicked little monkey, which all the time may not intend so much to do us a favour, as to drive us from the place.
Ernest now ventured to take up the nuts. We found them even too unripe to be made use of, and were more than ever at a loss to account for their falling from the tree, round which we continually paced, endeavouring to explain the mystery. In vain, however, we strained our eyes; we saw nothing, but now and then a slight motion
of the leaves: but neither bird nor beast appeared; and not a breath of wind was stirring.
Fritz had by this time concluded his narration to his mother; and observing that Ernest and I seemed occupied by something of a perplexing kind, and looked up repeatedly at one tree, he supposed we must have discovered some animal in it, and ran to have his share of the adventure, bringing also his younger brothers. We told him what had passed:—he shewed us that he had the eyes of a lynx. I shall soon, said he, see what it all means, raising his face to gaze at the tree; if one would but fall at this moment, I would soon tell you who threw it. At the very instant two nuts fell, and so near to the speaker as to bruise his lip and his chin. Ernest could not refrain from laughing heartily. The magician is at least polite, said he; he conducts his gifts to your very mouth; and it is no fault of his if the dimensions of yours are not large enough to receive it:—but look, look, there are two more falling close to our mother and Francis. How well-behaved this magician shows himself;—In proportion as the guests increase, he takes care to send one for each. Let us quickly open one of them and refresh ourselves with the liquor it contains, in drinking to the health of our unknown friend. We did so; and each obtained a small quantity of the milk, in the fragments of the shell; and all called out together as they drank it, looking up at the tree, Long life and thanks to the good magician!—Ah, ah, I see him; there he is, exclaimed Jack. Oh, heavens! what a hideous creature! what an ugly shape he has! he is as large as my hat, and has two monstrous pincer claws.
Where is he then? said I, for I do not see him. There, that is he, father, crawling slowly down the tree; do you see him now?—It was a land crab, an animal that, to say the truth, deserved Jack’s description of him. The land crab resembles the sea crab, but is ten times more hideous: some kinds of them are excellent food, and are the principal subsistence of the natives where they are found. The one we now met with was of the kind called cocoa crab, on account of its fondness for that fruit. It crawls with great difficulty and slowly, up the trunk of the tree; when it has reached the clumps of leaves,
it conceals itself in them, and falls to pinching off the bunches of cocoa-nuts at the stalks; he separates and then throws them down one by one, which often bruises them considerably. The crab then descends, and finds below a plentiful regale. It is said by some that their claws are strong enough to break the shell of the nut; but for myself, I doubt this, having always believed rather that they suck the milk by means of the small hole found in the fruit near the stalk. The land crab is not dangerous unless you are within reach of its claws, or, which is rarely the case, when they are found together in great numbers. Little Francis on seeing the animal was terribly frightened, and hid himself behind his mother; even Ernest drew back, and looked for a place of refuge: Jack, with a menacing air, raised the end of his gun; and we all cast some looks of curiosity as the creature slowly descended the tree. The moment he was on the ground, the intrepid Jack aimed a blow at him with his gun, which missed him. The crab, finding himself attacked, turned round and advanced with his claws stretched open towards his enemy. My little ruffian defended himself valiantly; he did not retreat a single step, but his attempts to strike, entirely failed, for the crab was perfect in the art of evading every blow. I however determined not to interfere: I saw that there could be no danger to the boy, and that the scene would conclude by his subduing the animal, if he conducted the affair with prudence and address. I must observe that nothing could be more amusing than this exhibition of a fight between a little boy and a crab.
After some time, being tired out with so many fruitless attempts, and perhaps recollecting that the pinches he might get from the animal’s claws would not be very agreeable, and finding himself likely to be brought to close quarters with him, suddenly gave him the slip and ran off. The other boys now burst into peals of laughter, bawling out: So the magician has conquered you! he has made you run away! poor Jack! but why did you engage with a magician, Jack? On this, the lad piqued by their jeers, stopped short, threw his gun and his game-bag on the ground, stripped off his coat, spread it before him, and made a stand at his adversary, who was making up
to him with his claws stretched out in a menacing sort of motion. Jack, without a moment’s hesitation, threw his coat upon the creature, and wrapped him round in it; then tapping on the outside upon his shell: Wicked magician, cried he, I have you at last! I will teach you to brandish your horns another time.
I laughed so heartily at this scene, that I had not the power to give him any assistance. I saw by the motion under the coat that the crab was still alert and angry. I therefore took my hatchet and applied two or three powerful blows with it on the coat, which I took for granted would finish the affair at once. I lifted up the coat; and, as I expected, the terrible animal was dead, but still preserved a menacing posture.
What an ugly monster! cried Jack, as he stood over him: but far from being terrified by his ugliness, it only served to quicken my ardour:—one must always be glad to deliver the earth of such a monster.
You would have something to do, my young Hercules, said I, tapping him on the shoulder; no animal is so common as the crab on the shores of the sea: they are of numerous kinds, and may be seen by millions, all equally ugly. This, if I mistake not, is distinguished by the name of thepoet’s crab. What say you, Jack, to a thought just come into my head, of creating an order of knighthood for you, in which you shall be dubbed—Sir Crab? This is the second time that you have engaged in combat with these pincer-clawed animals. We will say nothing of the first, in which you got a bite by the leg; but this time you have evinced considerable courage and presence of mind. The thought of throwing your coat over the creature was well imagined; I doubt if you would have subdued him by any other means. It must be an animal of prodigious strength for its size, to be able to open a cocoa-nut, so that it was no inconsiderable enemy you were engaged with: but human prudence and reason give man the advantage over even the most formidable of the brute creation.
Jack.—May we eat crabs, father?—they are so very ugly!
